Aeroplane



1927 2 Sheets-Sheet j l l I l l l l l J. SHARP AEROPLANE Filed July 2o.

May 3, 1932.

May 3, 1932. J. SHARP 1,856,228

AEROPLANE Filed'July 2o. 1927 2 Sheets-shew 2 Patented May 3, 1932UNITED` PAT-ENT OFFICE JOHN snaar, or cnrrvnmum, omo,n

AEBOPLANE' Application led July 120,"

Thewobjects of the invention are to provide an improved aeroplane havinga strong.

compact forni of body, and aerofoils, and so constructed `that upwardlyanduforwardly i-qfdirected `impulseszareproducedby the provisionofIadded surfacesthat increase the i.

20 L vi ded` with .planes of ordinary construction.`

Further `advantages `acquired by the improved method .of construction:include.l a

greater easeoi' control, an automaticallyacquired balance, .and`increased famount` `of 2W working and i supporting area, `thus `addingltor the `stability yof. the plane without enlarg ing `its apparentsize, or wing spread.

The `invention includes. the` provision of additional. inclined planesurfaces;` by the` 3m; construction of inclined ports .or passages uinuthenaerofoils,tail or body having their intake `or `suctionopeningslocated at `the upper side of their surfaces, and `which passdownward and rearward atlan anglethrough aarthewlower or supportingsurfaces, `andhave their `discharge openings 1n said lower surf facesIni'the improved construction thelower or outlet.. vopenings l areV.preferably constructed 4ofwider in `crosssection i from front to rearmethod of construction tends to. eliminata back pressure or resistancetoutheair-` flow-` ing through the inclined passages. `:[tpalso Alli"`tends to. increasethe eifective amount ofsuc- 1927;" Serial 11'0.y207,0495

tion `at ithe upper forward `intake openingg.: also fthe lower openingbeing the widest the u passage of the streams of air across the mouth ofthe lower openingwill beprolonged, that is will `act over a longer.period ottime across the lower opening;v

In this manner-it willf create a long strong, continuousaction ofthe airon :the `passages and `produce a greatereect thanif both up# perfandlower openings wereoi' thesanie size;

The upper and lower openings are spaced apart upon thenpper andA lowersurfaces .of the plane1respectively,andthe upper open-A ingisfpositioned in advance lof.n the lower. opening and they are connectedby rearwardly anddownwardly inclinedwpassages that pass diagonallyAentirely ythrouglrthe meub. bers of the plane in which they areinstalled;

Thesemembers may be rthe "aerofoils,-fuse lage, or horlzontal stationaryrudders oristabilizers, orfwhatever parts desired.` Y

By means of .this constructionthe span .of the wings can beshortenedsince anincreasedv amount of: lifting surface is provided for agivensspan,\and depthpf aerofoil. Alsoia more perfect balancecan `be,obtained which will be more easily retained,.and tipping influences canbevmoreeasily. overcome.

When the machineis in motion thestreains of air which rush by `helowersurfaces ofthe aerofoils will leap across the lower` openings and willproduce `a strong ndraft through y these passages and will create astrongysuctionat the.- upperforward endsof the passages lin thedirection of'notion of the machine thus drawing themachineforward andupward.

Further the streams of air rushing through theipassages meeting thestreamseof air lea-p1 r y ing` across :the lower `mouths of the passagesthan the `upper or intake openings. This@ uur will :causer-their.expansion 'upward and will create a forward continuousthrustorupreslsure `upon Athe plane. f

` a rearwardly inclined vertical angle.

The suction produced at the intake openings reduces the pressure of airabove and in advance of the aerofoil by the rarefication of the airadjacent to said openings.

This suction is caused when the machine drawing the machine upwardr andforward by the removal of the compressed air above the aerofoils.

Further the air dischargedfrom the lower mouths of the passages comes incontact with the lower or lifting surfaces of the aerofoil and appliesan additional lifting force thereto.

Also the rearwardly directed pressure of the air underneath the aerofoilas it is discharged from these passages, as it passes from Contact withthe under surfaces of th-e aerofoil, tends to break up the back drag orwash of the aerofoil on the airfollowing the machine so as'to cause therelease of the passing air. v

Also the under surfaces behind the pas-V sages are engaged with the airwith greater lifting effect, before it loses contact or engagement withthe active lifting surfaces.

vIn this manner the air is caused to engage with the entire undersurface of the aerofoil to Vcause the maximum lifting effect upon everysquare foot vt-hereof which will increase in direct ratio with theincrease of speed of the plane and with the increased amount of suctionabove and expansion below continuously obtained thereby.

For this reason the smallest andV most com- .pact form of machine can bemade and also of'downwardly `and rearwardly inclined suction passages 1nthe aerofoils, rear stabilizers and fuselage. YFig.'2 is a frontelevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan vof the aerofoil of a'large planeshowing a double row of such passages. Fig. 4 is atransverse section Vofone of the aerofoils taken on line 1 1, on the center line of thepassages.

Fig. 5 is a plan of a smaller plane showing an aerofoil having a singlerow of closely approximated passages separated only by the transverseribs of the aerofoil.

Fig. 6 is a similar plan showing spaced passages. Fig. 7 is a frontelevation, Fig. 8 is a side elevation. Fig. 9 is a transverse sectionand Fig. l() is an enlarged plan having one large inclined air passagethrough each aerofoil.

In these views, A is the fuselage, B the wing, C the horizontalstabilizers on the sides of the rear end ofthe fuselage, D is therudderv and E the propeller.

.Passing through the aerofoil fuselage and stabilizers are shown thesuction passages F,

V-F, having their intake openings F, F at a higher level than thrudischarge vopenings F 2, F2. The upper openings F', F are ad-` vancedalsoto a position in advance of the lower openings F2, F2 thus incliningthe'passages downwardly and rearwardly from the intake openings abovethe upper surfaces of the plane to the dischargeopenings in the lower.surfaces of the plane. i

These passages F may be'made in any fixed members of the plane and areshown in the aerofoil, the body or'fuselage andthe stabilizers. 1

The lower mouths F2 of these passagesF are shown to be wider from theirfront to their rear edges than the upper mouths F1 l -loo thereof.

The passages extend between the longitudi-` nal ribsr F,F, of theaerofoil and may be spaced apart as shown'in Figs. 6 and 10 or closelyadjacent as shownV in Figs. l, 3 and`4 5 and thin walls may be formed ofthe same material as the plane or of any suitable smooth surfacedmaterial to avoid friction upon the air passing therethrough.` By theuse of these inclined passages and the peculiar action they produce ingeneral on the air above and below Vthe planeand upon the sustainingsurfaces', the principle of soaring flight is employed, which willadvance the art of navigation of the air to further-successi `Bymeans ofthis construction, compression and expansion of the air is taking placeunder the entire surface Vof the aerofoils driving the machine up andforward.'y At l .the same time that the suction action'of the intakeopenings reducesthe density of the air above the machines aerofoils,thus pulling it up and forward, due to the momentum of themachinethrough the air. Y'The de-` scribed action is continuouslyproduced at' all times, while'the machine is in 'motion in the air, andin this vman ner'soarir'xg flight is made possible.'y

vI claimzV Y Y l. An aeroplane wing having a series of 'lao

